Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-11-06
THE NOURSE HOME.
THE FAMOUS SALEM RELIC TEAT Is
now FOR SALE.
Rebecca's Mournful Story and the Place Of
Her Burial-Eow Her Home Looks
The Unbroken Line.
fgalem tMass.) Letter.l


We had passed the house many a
time, always passing it, never daring
ask admission. Every time we passed
we loitered on the tiny burial place close
by, and sat there in November twilight
or fragrant sunset of june to muse upon
the black tragedy that SO many. many
Junes and Novembers ago made this
not only historic but haunted ground.
The burial ground is bit OF space
between two pillows Of fields, one OF
the private graveyards so numerous
upon these now Dsnvers, once Salem,
farms. II is country roadside spot,
shaded by murnuripg pines and solemn
cedars, carpeted thickly with pine
needles and strevn with rusty cones
In one corner is q section ghastly with
new marble, but that We scarcely notice.
What we care for only are the few sunken
and crumbling bits of stone and the
comparatively new monument IN the
centre OF the plot which mark the graves
of Rebeccs Nourso and her family. l
say mark the graves, for, although 1t was
never known exactly where that sanity
victim was laid when her stalwart
sons and sons-in-law stole her away at
night from the heaped trench beneath
the gibbet, it has always beenEyiyld ira
dltion in the family that she rested some
where here in an unmarked grave among
her kindred. These low bits Of molder-
ing stone are but bits OF moldering stone,
without form or device, without even the
skull and crossbones OF their time, as We
can plainly see. They seem more, won
derfully, strangely more No time
gnawed bits OF mediscval sculpture, no
jeering mask OF mythic demon ever
seemed to mock more than they do ct
the pOorness Of our poor humanity to
hint moro than th0y at the mystic
rious riddle and romance OF our
earth life and life hereafter The name
" Tsrbell " dimly to be decipbered upon
them Is as weirdly and Economically ini-
pressiye as the Orgagna earth and hell
srotesque upon the walls OF the flsaA
Campo Ssnto, for the Tarbells. We know
were bitter sufferers in the spiritual
nightmare that broodod this countryside
in 1892. The name OF John Taroell is
upon one bit OF crumbled stone, OF jon
sthsn upon smother, with their rsspec-
tive eges-john diving in l7l5 at sixty
three years Of age, Jonathan at ninety
six in 1918 They wers father and son,
one Of them Rebecca Aourse's son-lu-
law, and DOUBTLESS one who stole her
body from tine accurscd trench.
The monument in the centre OF the
tiny graveyard has often been described.
II is simple in form, OF white mirole,
and bears the inscription L" Reoecca
Nourse, Yarmouth, England, 1921. oa-
lem, Nass.. 1852.
90. Christian martyr who fHr truth could die.
~ h.a all hr0und tuae owned TIE hidaoue lie,
The world, redeemed from supersuiion's
aWHH.
is oieai1.7s frser for thy sase today"
1t WAS erected four n five years ago
by an ASSOCIATION OF women, The Re
bccca Nourse Association" and has be-
cone place of pilgrimage TO thousands
touched by the sorowiul fate OF the
Christian martyr who refused to save
her lie, as others did, 10y confossluG that
he had "sienei with the Black lian. "
Sitting in that pea 'eful place, sur
roun,ed 10y we'll tiled farms and plea
saut hDucs with summer music IN the
Inns. tie lntlf o. horse. cars ard m-h
Of railway tram not far OF. ana the
consciousness of thriving modem town
scarcr bees Il. rui away. 1t Is like IN
fpr.ra upon aporher wcili TO imagine
ell rt.f. r.. =.
iar..,d end du.ky forest back ground, it,
RAGGED isrms ans antique houses. and
t.- ID sch wei. of ssfcrs'liiOu h'UCluR tho
col1uists. sodi uud minds. IL siI seems
% dtsh d.elu that q mother IN lsfael,
tu- rcyer.a head Of yiriuOus and
honorable family, after eighty years OF
cody walk and coByersltIlu IN ths eyes
~ Ei,n. COuid b. torn from her Ia nily aud
dIsgracrmliy hanged by the neck TIL she
aas dead. then huddled into an accursed
tit. oil for a foul delnSon. IL makrs
ones blood boil 10 know that after the
frenzy was over and all the mothers and
fathers. even children and dogs. hanged
tnlt were - be-, the haugers and accu-
sers came t0cs thrr to thank God IN op-u
PRAYER that tLcy bad removed 4 great
delusion from their lives : From their
lives And not one singl word Of shame,
OF agony. ot iemorse Tor the iunO;cn,
blood the tears the grOsns. the anguish
that filed tic street, and prisons and
homes OF Salem village! No record
e1ists that Tue prosecutors ever felt sucn
remorse. We DO no. know that even
Justice Hawthorne, Our rom0ncltt >
ancestor ever ieit Que such pang, even
though he Is was who, when husband
asked that ne might support his vile s
fain'iug form and wipe tue sweat nom
her brow ana the teaIs from her checks,
answered: "Aol If she has strength
enough to torment these people she has
enough to stand alone. hat
no sach record exists, does not, however,
prove that IN msuy dark watch OF the
night. in shrek Of autumn tempest
through tae forest or sigh Of summer
Wind in the tall grass, came not to trou
bled spirits On earth haunting echo OF
the death cry of innocent creatures tor
tured and done to death by false wit
ness.
One dav We plucked up courage and
begsed admission to the ancient manor
house nom winch Rebecc4 Nours~ was
dragged to her death. A bright faced
lady met and made US welcome. She
was dslntily and even elegantly dressed,
and in n,r pleasant chatter seemed the
ysrf embodiment of the energetic, prac-
teal spirit OF the hin teenth century.
Had We known who she was before meet
Jog her We should have thought to SEQ
some larry VISION, drcan-liks amid lifs's
prose. Il creature Of strange, erotesque
ltnaeininQs, and one at morod varl-
ancu with fate such creature as
Hawthorne might have spiritually dis
sscted aad wrought half real.sti-
cally. h1lf f4u.'st.ct.ly iato ona OF ms
ronances OF fate aai doom. For tbs
pretty lady. sup. rinteniIug in the very
room from wricA "Witcl Noursr aas
taken, the baking OF beans and bruwn
breed for d CHURCH supper IN Iapl-yyl.r,
is The direct deC,endint not only OF
Rebeccl NourIe, the victim, bit o, the
Putnam family. OF watch was Ann Pat
nam, that victims accuser and muir
dereg Blood OF victim ali murderer
united ia one family. why ahouli chat
ig'uily not see ghosts and behold yisio IS,
if any ever doi Int they 10 not; AMI
one Is conscious OF almost a lack and